Potato harvesting machine



Dec. 5, 1950 C E. JOHNSON POTATO HARVESTING MACHINE 7 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed April 20, 1944 (YA/2L E Jam/501v,

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bagging mechanisms. i

Patented Dec. 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE i l 2,532,314 I n iro'rero HARVESTING momma Carl E. Johnson, IdahoFalls, IdahoApplicationaApril 20, 1944, Serial No. 531,909

i 5 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in potatoharvesters, the principal object being to provide a potato harvestingmachine which will not only dig potatoes, but also separate the potatoesfrom soil, stones. and vines and subsequently bag the potatoes, or placethem (ores-51) in a wagon or truck direct, all in as substantiallyautomatic series of operations.

Another important object of the invention is the elevator H is a bladeor plow 2 for digging it potatoes.

Potatoes are elevated by the elevator H and when they reach the upperend thereof fall off onto a transverse conveyor l3 from where they aredelivered over aseparator generally referred to by numeral l4 and fallonto thelower end of an elevator it, where they are lifted to.

an overhead structure [6 having a flared apron I? in which deflectorpanels l8, is are swing ably mounted, each panel having an external arm2!] depending as shownin Figure 1 and linked Other objects andadvantages of the invention will become apparent to the reader of thefollowing description.

In the drawings: Figure 1 represents a fragmentary side elevationof themachine, with the front portion in section.

Figure 2 is a side elevation looking at the opposite side from thatshown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a top plan View. a

Figure 41s arear elevation. i l Figure 5 is a fragmentary verticalsectional view through the vineremover. 1

Figure 6 is a fragmentary side elevational view of one of the baggers. il t Figure 7 is a fragmentary perspective view showing one of thekeepers for the bagging mechanism showninFigure 6. l

Figure 8 is a fragmentary perspective view showing one of. the foottreadles for one of the Figure 9 is a perspective view of oneof the bagequipping rods. i

Figure 10 is a top plan view of a slightly modified form, disclosing themachine without the bagging mechanism and with a transverse conveyor. 1

Figure 11 is a fragmentary edge elevational view of the crusher. t

Figure 12 is a fragmentary insidepelevational view showing amodification of the vineremover.

Figure 13 is a fragmentary verticalsectional view taken on the lineiii-43 of Figure 12.

Figure 14 is a fragmentary sectiona1 view showing a modification ofthevine remover shield;

together by a rod Ella to act in unison. Springs 2| serve to hold thesepanels in one position or the other for delivering potatoes either toone or the other of two bagging mechanisms 22,23.

Each bagging mechanism is constructed as shown in Figure 6, the sameconsisting of an inclined bag supporting 1712,3 24, open at its bottomand being mounted within an L-shaped I frame 25. The tray 2d issupportedin a definite inclined position by .a brace 25. i A treadla 21 rockablysupported as at128 has a foot-engageable pedal or the like 29 at itsinner end and a plate 38 at its opposite end which when disposed againstthe open. bottom of the tray 24 serves as a support for a bag lyingagainst the tray. A spring 3! is interposed between a lug 32 on thetreadle 2i and a lug 33 on the upper portion of the tray 2 so as toautomatically pull the treadle to the position shown in Figit can bebrought down and under a projecting keeper 34 on the lower portion ofthe frame 25. As shown inFigures 1 and6, each of the bagging devices hasa yoke 36 projecting inwardly from its corresponding frame 25 and oneach yoke 36 is a pair of shafts 3?. Each of the shafts 3! has severalspurs or pins 38 adapted to en-. sage and hold the open end of. a bag.

From one end of each of the shafts 3? projects an arm 39 and these armsare connected by arouate-shapedlink members 40 to the-upper end of aconnecting rod 4!, which extends down and connects to the aforementonedlug 32.

Referring to the drawings wherein like numerals designate like parts, itcan be seen that the machine is supported by wheels 5 and is preferablypulled by a tractor (not shown) which operates a drive shaft :6 to agear box land, in turn, delivers the power to a shaft 8 journaledthrough bearings 9 located on the side walls. I0 of an inclined elevatorll. At the lower end of Obviously, when the treadle 2? is releasedfrom aposition where the plate 35 has been supporting a bag on the tray 24,the treadle ill will be pulled upwardly by the spring 3! at the sametime an upward movementtakes place by the rod ti,

this movement resultin in the turnin of the shaft 31 andthe moving ofthepins 38 to a posi. tion releasing the filled bag.

have a tendency to hop or bounce over and out the spiral d2, but stonesand other heavy objects have a tendency to settle on the spirals and arefed toward the rear ends thereof where they drop to the ground. Insteadof the inner spiral 42 a larger smooth roll may be employed and this mayaiTord a better surface for the potatoes to bound across.

Frequently stones will get caught in the bars of the transverse conveyor53 and to alleviate this condition a spring supported apron 53a isprovided at the discharge end of the co veyor E3 to dislodge the caughtstones. Across t is apron potatoes, stones, etc. can move.

At the back of the machine is a vertically posed structure fit operatedby a chain This is an endless conveyor the traveling structure carryingmultiplicity of projections ll which serve to engage and hold the potatovines, lifting the same out or" the space heween the structure and theupper end of conveyor it and dumping the same to the rear of the(Modification shown in Figures 12 and 13.)

A shaft .8 driven by the chain :35 is geare E5 to a shaft 55a which, inturn, is in drlv connection the separator i l Above the shaft it is ashaft 330., also driven c; 5. The shaft 2 8:; is fulcrumed on the lowerends of brackets 320. Thus the vine remover as swingably supported andheld in adjusted posi tion by apertured arms provided with suitabledetents etc.

An endless clcd crusher 55 overlies the elevat ii, the lower flight ofwhich oves clc 1 of cart. on the elevator ii to cru h the to make thisoperation eincient, the crusner is intended to move more rapidly thanthe elev tor l i. The transverse bars of the endless cruel. 5! arepreferably stepped. as at a, h and (see Figure 11).

At the lower enl of having sprocket wheels over sprocketchains i?) are ssprocket cha ns bib being disposed over sprockets on shafts c on whichare additional sprockets en ging the chair 2 Thus, it can be seen th551; are driven reversely to the c rains A chain (see Figure l) isoperated by shaft am, this driving a sh e operating a chain 52" to driveby way of a shaft Ella, the elevator iii. (See Figure 2.)

Gbvionsiy, the cha ns and sprockets may be differently arranged ind, infact, where pra cal, gears may be used in of such operating connections.

It can now be that 1 the blade 52 and elevated by th elevator 55 to a ponto the transverse conveyor w. picked up by the a the rear of themachine. rocks and other object where the rocks caught by delivered tothe rear machine, potatoes alone go to the elevator l5 are elevated andsubsequ ntly delivered into bags on the bagging mechanisms 22, 23.

Figure discloses a modification of. the-invena shaft Ella i n- I1 3 Saletion. In this view reference characters Ila and l5a denote the first andfinal elevators of the machine corresponding to the elevators H and i5shown in Figure 3. The variance exists in the provision of a crossconveyor 68 for delivering potatoes from the conveyor a across themachine to a wagon (not shown) on the opposite side.

Obviously, bagging means similar to that disclosed in Figure 2, may beused at the discharge end of the cross conveyor Bil. The conveyor 69 isdriven by a shaft ti and gear 62, the power being taken off of theelevator 55a (see Figure 10).

A modification of the vine remover is shown in Figures 12 and 13.Sometimes in the instance of the vine remover A l, vines will be caughtby the projections ll and carried around, thus preventing prcperoperation of this mechanism. It is, therefore, preferable that a shieldbe employed to insure the displacement of the vines from. the removablemechanism. As can be seen in Figures 12 and 1 3, the modified vineremover consists of a pair of side walls 65,. between which an endlessstructure 65 operates in a vertical direction and is trained oversprockets 5'5, E3, the lower prcclzet being driven as in the mannershown in igure l.

The endless structure 65 has cross bars 69 from which projections 'iilproject through longitudinal slots 'ii in a shield i2. This shield canbe of sheet metal and is disposed upwardly just inside of the endlessstructure '56 and the longitudinal slots are sufficiently wide to permitfree movement of the projections it along the same.

The lower end of the shield is supported by suitable brackets l3 and iscurved inwardly as end of the vine remover so that the projections.

ill will have an opportunity to graduall recede through the slots inpassing downwardly with the rear flight of the endless structure, 65 andin. this action of receding through the slots, thevinesare.

released so that they can fall to, the ground well rearwardly of thevine remover.

A further, form of the inventionis shown in Figure 14 where a shield Wecor esponding to the shield ll of Figure 13 has its lower end curvedoutwardly as at This shield has slots Ha as in the shield l2 so as toaccommodate fingers vine remover in a difierent position of adjust--ment hanthat shown in the drawings.

Reverting to the apron Eta it is to be understood that this elen entserves not only as a surface over whi .1 potatoes and stones can move,but inasmuch as it is a fiat inclined surface, the

tendency will be to allow the stones to slide down the same to theseparator it and definitely becaught thereby, while the action of thepotatoes is to rollover the apron 53a and bound over the separator'l ito the elevator I5.

Whilethe foregoingspecification sets forth the invention. in specificterms, it is tobeunderstood- 5 that numerous changes in the shape, sizeand materials may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit andscope of the invention as end of said second elevator, a separatorcarried by said frame interposed between the conveyor and said secondelevator and overlying the lower end of the latter, an endless vineremoving unit pivotally and adjustably secured to said frame adjacentthe upper end of the first elevator for removing vines before theelevators contents are delivered to said conveyor, said separatorincluding a rotatable helix between saidconveyor and said secondelevator, and means drivingly interconnecting said first elevator, saidsecond ele-d vator, said conveyor, said separator, and said vineremoving unit. 1

2. A potato harvester including a frame a digger carried by said frame,an elevator supported on said frame rearwardly adjacent to said digger,

lel to but inclined oppositely to said first elevator, a transverseconveyor carried by said frame adjacent ends of said elevators andtransporting potatoes from the discharge end of said first elevator tothe lower end of said second elevator, a

stone removing unit supported on said frame interposed between saidtransverse conveyor and said second elevator and overlying the lower endof the latter, said stone removing unit consisting of parallel,oppositely rotating helices having their axis of rotation substantiallyparallel to the axes of the said elevators, and means drivinglyinterconnecting said first elevator, said. second elevator, saidconveyor, and said stone removing unit. a

3. A potato harvester including a frame a digger carried by the saidframe, an elevator supported on said frame rearwardly adjacent to saiddigger, a second elevator supported on said frame disposed generallyparallel to but oppositely inclined to said first elevator, a transverseconveyor carried by said frame extending from the discharge end of saidfirst elevator and delivering to the lower end of said second elevator,a separator carried by said frame interposed between the conveyor andsaid second elevator and overlying the lower end of the latter, and anendless belt clod crusher disposed above and in align ment with saidfirst elevator, and means drivingly interconnecting said first elevator,said second elevator, said conveyor, said separator, and said clodcrusher.

4. A potato harvester including a frame a dig-.

ger carried by said frame, an elevator supported on said framerearwardly adjacent to saiddigger, a second elevator supported on saidframe disposed generally parallel to but oppositely inclined to saidfirst elevator, a transverse conveyor carried by said frame extendingfrom the discharge end of saidfirst elevator and delivering to the lowerend of said second elevator, a separator carried by said frameinterposed between the conveyor and said second elevator and overlyingthe lower end of the latter, and an endless belt clod crusher disposedabove and in alignment with said firstelevator, said clod crushertravellingat a higher rate of speed than said first elevator,

and means drivingly interconnecting said first elevator, said secondelevator, said conveyor, said separator, and said clod crusher.

5. A potato. harvester including a frame a digger carried by said frame,an elevator carried by the frame rearwardly adjacent to said digger, asecond elevator carried by the frame disposed generally parallel to butoppositely inclined to said first elevator, a transverse conveyorsupported onsaid frame extending from the discharge end of said firstelevator, and delivering a second elevator supported on said frameparalto the lower end of said second elevator, a separator carried bysaid frame interposed between the conveyor and said second elevatorandoverlying the lower end of the latter, an endless belt clod crusherdisposed above and in alignment with said first elevator, means forvarying the distance between the first elevator and the overlying CARLE. JOHNSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS- Number Date Name 616,885 Brennan Jan. 3, 1899664,406 Harms Dec. 25, 1900 1,202,737 Klitzke s Oct. 24, 1916 11,615,716 Moon Jan. 25, 1927 1,639,332 Zuckerman Aug. 23, 1927 1,641,492Jasperson Sept. 6, 1927 1,685,230 Giberson Sept. 25, 1928 1,784,209 TimmDec. 9, 1930 2,015,549 Dwyer Sept. 24, 1935 2,095,428 Batie Oct. 12,1937 2,209,282 Rodin "July 23, 1940 2,365,077 Hertzler Dec. 12,1944

FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country 1 Date 39,493 Germany June 3, 1887 GreatBritain of 1902 a

